Aeronautics



Sept. 11, 1928. 1,684,240

J. E. PIGEON AERONAUTI C 5 Filed July 12, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 z jyedfllnventor Attorneys Sept. 11 1928.-

J. E. PI'GEON AERONAUTICS Filed July 12, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 may Wlwmml {yap/31m Attorneys b b b gig Hm Patented Sept. 11, 1928.

UNITED JOSEPH r enouior HOLLYWOOD, oiin ronnin. I

annonamrro s.

,a tn anon filed July 12,

, This invention relatesto improvements in I aeronautics havingfor anobject .to proyide a clirigible airship whose flightetiiciency s derivedfrom a novel comb nation and con- 5 struction of lighter than airandplane sustainingfbodies, while propeller and'isteering .ineansaresupplied, that the yehiclemay be driven upon or through aproperlynavigated course. p v I vIt is also amongst the principal des deraturnsof the inyention to prov de-an airship of the character mentionedwherein the body I portions oi saidsuper structure being arconstructionis suclrthat the craft maybe advantageously used for commercialpurposes, space being provided therein iorthe reception o-r storage ofboth freight and passenger, cargos, while other space is available forthestoring of fuel for the airship motors, this reservoir receivingspace l'ieingso disposed that the added weight of the fuel will giye anextremely lowcenter t gravitytothe airship :ancLhenc-e, materiallystabilize the flight efliciency'thereof.

Amongst other aims ;.an d, objects of the invention there maybe noted,the proyision of ana -r hip having: propeller; meansi id a ing hesamethrough:an'a-Vigated'courseand also, atwill oof a nayigator, toaccelerate or Qpositively effect. ascension ofthe ship v as in theprocess'offttalre ofidthereofflyh n heavily laden.

a Other objects of the invention lwill be in part obvious andin partpointed out here n after. I I a In order .thatthe inyention and ts modeof operation may be readily understood by [those ,skilledin the art,Iliave in the accoinf I panying illustrativedrawings and, in the detailed fellowingdescription based thereupgn, set out one possibleembodiment of the imventiom i In these drawings:

v Figure 1 is a sideeleyationoiithe improved air ship,

Figure 2 is an enlarged ,veiftical transyerse 7 sectiontherethroil'ghlta lieri 0 22 of Figure 1,

;'Figure 8 1s .a horizontal and longitudinal sectionlthrough theimproved air ship,

Figure 4 is a .fvertical fragmentary -lO11g1 tudinal section throughthelowerportion 0t I i the ship showingthe .nian ier 'in which the. vfuelreservoirs thereof are disposed with re-v spect to the, landing gearandthe arrange, ment of the passenger receivingfcompart ,--"m li$ a t ibodies.

7 19 27. Serial K052013171.

Figure is a fragmentary horizontal and bination with I the lighter thanair sustaining Having more particular reference to the drawings, inconnection with which like characters of reference willdesignatecorresponding parts throughout, the improved air ship maybe stated tocomprise a super structure generally indicated herein by the numeral 1,

ranged to constitute tubular bodies 2 and 3 adapted to belined andcovered witha'gas impervious iabric material-1'4 whereby withthepumpingof as into the tubular enclosures paiticularly, those portionsof the same outwardly and laterally of the 'tub ular bodies and 3 areformed into auxiliary tubular bod es of substant ally triangularcrossfsec- .tional shape',' designated by the numeral 5, are provided,these particularbodiesi being lines with a gaseous impervious fabric orma terial designated by the numeral '6, whereby w th nflatronof'the'same, auxiliary lighter than air sustaining bodies will-be afforded.

The whole of the super structure together with the lighterthan airsustaining bodies 2, 3 and 5 1s adapted'to; be covered'fby'a fabric orothe material indicated by the numeral 7,

thisserving as a protecting means therefor ainst the elements andlkewise, asa fricalion minimizing means.

structure-1 and arranged below the lighter wardly'and laterallydisposedplane sustaining bodies 8, these bodies, as shown'in; the

Supported upoir'portio ns of the super Figures 1 and 5,;being extendedthroughout the length of said super structure 1 and serv- "ing as anadditional light sustaining means for the air ship. A ibody'or hull(fuselage) ture 1 and depends therefrom inthe manner as s shown in theFigure 2tl1lS body 9 being haying aplurality of vertical longitudinallyand I transversely disposed partitions genen pally, "identified. numeral12 arranged w generally indieated b-y the numeral 9,"1sadapted tobesecurely oined or connected to -the super structhereupon whereby toprovide freight and passenger storage and receiving spaces ,orcompartments designated, respectively, by the numerals 13 and 14, doorsor other suitable ways of ingress and egress being provided eachpartition 12 for obvious purposes.

Other compartments 15,- ma be formedlor provided for upon the upper eckand in these compartments, accommodations for the air ship crew andmaintenance :torce thereof may besupplied. j l r That the air ship maybe driven and steered through a navigated course, compartments 2 orrooms generally indicated by the numerals i 16 and 17 are provided thebody or hull portion 9, the compartments 16 SGI'VlIlg to receive theengines or motors of the air ship, while the compartment 17 'i'sarrangedad afcentlthe bow or forward end of the air ship opposite side of theair ship body 9 and each of these propellers are connected by gearinggenerally indicated at 19 to motors or engines 20 mounted within theaforesaid compartments 16. Also, other propellers 21 are rotatablymounted upon, the front or how portion of the body 9 and as will beunderstood, assist in the drlving or propulsion of the air ship throughits course.

\Vithin the lower deck of the body 9, compartments 22' are provided andin these eom partments, fuel storage tanks or reservoirs 23 areimmovably mounted or secured through the medium of brackets or strapsindicated at 24; suitable conduit connections being effeoted as betweenthese fuel reservoirs 23 and the :variousinotors 2O that-fuel maybe de-1 livered thereto for consumption. In this connection, it is tobe notedthat the fuel tanks or reservoirs 23 are arrangedwithin the lowermostportion of the body 9, that is, in the lower deck and consequentlythereupon, the added weight of these tanks, especially when filled withfuel, will serve to materially lower the center of gravity of the airship and hence, to greater materialize its flight eiiiciency. y

Wheeled or other approved and prevalent type of landing gear designatedby the numeral 25 is secured to the bottom-or lower portion of the airship body 9 and this landing gear is preferably equipped with suitablesprings or other types of'shock absorbing means or suspension devicesindicated at 26, whereby to permit of an eflicient landing of the craftupon terrain, as well as to permit of smooth or even taxiing of the sameduring the process of a take off. Thus, it will be understood thatdamaging or abnormal stressin of parts or elements of'the air ship,

caking of the ship when landing upon terrain under the sustaininginfluence of these lateral sustaining planes 8.

WVith a view toward providing the air shi with means for accelerating orositively e fecting ascension thereof, as w enthe ship ftakes on with aheavycargo, I, provide a plurality or seria of equi spaced'longitudinally disposed tubes generally designated by, the numeral 27these tubes .be-

ing disposed. throughout the combined depthsof the super structure 1 andthe air ship body or hull 9, as is clearly shown in the Figure 2 theupper and lowerendsof the tubes being open and having enlarged collarextensions 28 secured to the upperextrcmities thereof 'in which normallyhorizontally positioned rotatable propellers 29 are mounted upon drivingshafts 30 arranged within and disposed longitudinally of portions of thelengths of their respective tubes 27. These driven shafts 30, as will beunderstood, are connected by suitable gearing (not shown herein) to themotor or en ines 20of the air ship and by propercontrol s (also notshown) may be caused rotate at such speeds as will be productiveof amaximum lifting eiiiciency of the air "ship. Therefore. it isto beunderstood that when an air ship constructed in accordance withmyinvention isso heavily laden as to possibly prevent its ascension ina'process-of take 011, these propellers 29 may be caused to rotate atthe proper velocity to bring about an increase of slighteificien'cy,which by coaction with the sustaining properties of the lighter thanalDbOdlBs 2 and 3 and the lateral sustaining planes 8 will insureascensionof the equipped 1 air ship.

By varying oriselectively operating the propellers 18 mounted upon theopposite sides of the air ship body 9,'it will be understood that'theair ship may be more or less selectively navigated through its course.As a further means for controlling navigation of the air sh1p 1n apredetermined course and:

also for controllingascension and descension, the usual rudders 31 andelevator planes 32 aretprovided adjacent the rearward endof the airshipbody9, suitable controls being' extended from these elements 31 and 32(not shown herein) into the navigators compartment 17 of the air ship orelsewhere such as conditions or preference may dictate. Manifestly, theconstruction shown is capable of considerable modification and suchmodificationras is withinthe scopeof my claims, I consider within thespirit of my invention.

Iclaimf H 1. An air ship of the character described comprising a superstructure, lighter than air sustaining bodies formed Within said superstructure, a pair of lateral oppositely disposed sustaining planessecured to said super structure below said lighter than air sustainingbodies and disposed longitudinal partments, propeller means mountedoutwardly and laterally of said body and rearwardly of the same, andother propeller means supported in normally horizontal planes above saidsuper structure and adapt ed to accelerate and effect ascension of theair ship.

2. An air ship of the character described comprising a super structure,lighter than air sustaining bodies formed in and carried by said superstructure, a body secured to and arranged below said super structure, aplurality of oppositely disposed laterally extending sustaining planesfixed to the lower portion of said super structure below said lighterthan air sustaining body and arranged in PZl-litllQllSlIl'tO said lastmentioned bodies, propeller means mounted outwardly and laterally ofsaid body and below said sustaining planes, means within the body fortransmitting driving motion to said propellers, a plurality oflongitudinally disposed"vertically extending tubes supported in andpassing through said body and super structure, an-' nular collarscarried upon the upper ends of said tubular bodles above the super structure, normally horizontally positioned propcller means rotatably mountedin said annular collars and connected to said first mentioned propellerdriving means, said body being divided into a plurality of decks, one ofsaid decks having a multiplicity of com- I partments thereupon and theother of said decks having fuel tank receiving compartments thereinadapated with the placement of fuel tanks in the same to lower thecenter of gravity of the air ship, and landing gear secured to thebottom of'said body and immediately below said fuel tank receiving com opartments 3. In an airship, a horizontal longitudinally extending plane,a pair of tubular lighter than air sustaining bodies mountedlongitudinally on the intermediate portion of the n plane, asemi-circular roof covering the said sustaining bodies, and a fuselagesecured to and suspended from the intermediate portion of the plane andextending in a longitudinal position thereunder, the sides of the planeprojecting laterally beyond the sides of the roof and fuselage toprovide longitudinal stabilizing Wings.

4. In an airship, a horizontal longitudinally elongated plane, aplurality of lighter than air sustaining tubes disposed longitudinallyon the intermediate portion of the plane, a fuselage depending from theintermediate portion of the plane and arranged longitudinallythereunder, the longitudinal side portions of the plane being arrangedto project outwardly of the sustaining body and fuselage to providestabilizing wings, a landing gear connected to the bottom of thefuselage, a plurality of vertically disposed tubes arranged through thefuselage, plane and sustaining tubes, elevating propellers operativelymounted in the upper open ends of the vertical tubes, a plurality. ofdriving propellers mounted outwardly and laterallyof said body arrangedin a horizontal plane, and

JOSEPH n. PIGEON.

